DAS-AIS Association Patterns for Vessel Monitoring on an Operational Subsea Fibre Link

Abstract

We present a case study on the Emerald Fibre Bridge Link, an operational subsea telecom cable connecting Dublin and North Wales, examining DAS vessel-related signatures jointly with concurrent AIS data. The observations show that vessel-related DAS responses depend on local cable sensitivity and background conditions, while their interpretation is complicated by imperfect AIS reporting. Examining vessel-crossing events jointly, we identify representative DAS-AIS association patterns, ranging from clear vessel matches to offset, ambiguous, AIS-incomplete, AIS-silent-candidate, and non-vessel confounders. These observations reveal the gap between physical measurements at the cable and cooperative vessel reporting, providing practical insights for designing future DAS-assisted cable-protection workflows.